The state may be struggling during the recession and too many folks are out of work, but now there’s an opportunity to make some cash.

The U.S. Census Bureau is currently hiring “hundreds of thousands” of people.

According to a bureau rep who attended last week’s Marine Park Civic Association meeting, staffers are paid $14 to $21 an hour.

The lower salaries are for desk jobs and the higher pay is for field positions.

Census takers working in Brooklyn start at $18.75 an hour.

Be advised that the jobs are temporary.

All applicants will be subject to a background check and will be fingerprinted if hired.

Officials stress the importance of hiring census takers – and getting local residents to complete their census forms.

They say, “Every 10 years, the Census Bureau takes a snapshot of our population, determining how many people reside within the nation’s borders, who they are, and where they live. The results help determine your representation in government, as well as how federal funds are spent in your community on things like roads, parks, housing, schools, and public safety. As a census taker, you’ll play a vital role in making sure that everyone is counted.”

“The census is very important because the more people that are counted, the more money that will come in,” said Marine Park Civic Association President Greg Borruso.

This month, census forms containing 10 questions will be mailed to every home in the country. Residents who do not complete and mail back the form will be visited by a census taker.

The results determine how much money is allocated to hospitals, schools, senior centers, job training centers, emergency services, and public-works projects such as bridges and tunnels.

To apply for jobs, log on to http://www.census.gov, call 1-866-861-2010 or contact one of Brooklyn’s census offices. Brooklynites should call the phone number dedicated to the neighborhood in which they live: